Christmas Joy

The world is searching for genuine joy. They may call it something else or look for it under the guise of fun or pleasure, but the basic need is still the same: joy. And what a time to find and express joy: Christmas, the incarnation. God has stooped to meet man’s greatest need: sinless God for sinful man. While the joy of Christians is unspeakable, our sense of humility is understandable. What would we be without our Lord’s work on our behalf? It is a time to contrast what we deserve with what we enjoy. The wide path to eternal hell and exchanged for the crown of life and eternal glory.

This is the reality of Christmas joy and is expressed so eloquently by H. R. Bramley in his  incarnation poem.

A babe on the breast of a maiden He lies,

Yet sits with the Father on high in the skies,

Before Him their faces the seraphim hide,

While Joseph stands waiting, unscared by His side.

Oh, wonder of wonders, which none can unfold!

The Ancient of Days is an hour or two old,

The Maker of all things is made of the earth,

Man is worshipped by angels, and God comes to birth.

The Word in the bliss of the Godhead remains,

Yet in flesh comes to suffer the keenest of pains,

He is that He was, and forever shall be,

But becomes what He was not for you and for me.

 

This Christmas remember the most memorable gift, the most remarkable event, the most unspeakable joy.

Merry Christmas,

Charles Cavanaugh